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SIR WILLIAM BLAKE RICHMOND. Self-portrait, aged 21

Self-portrait, aged 21. Artist: Sir William Blake Richmond (British, London 1842-1921 London). Dimensions: Sheet: 9 × 6 in. (22.9 × 15.2 cm). Date: 1863.
The subject of this intense image was named for William Blake, a poet-painter revered by his artist-father George Richmond. With Samuel Palmer as a godfather, and drawing lessons from John Ruskin before he entered the Royal Academy Schools in 1858, the youth's career path must have seemed preordained. He based the self-portrait in part on a miniature that his father had painted at twenty-one to present to his bride (National Portrait Gallery, London). The works share similar poses, serious expressions and soulful eyes, but William's blondness contrasts with his father's darker hair and eyes. Delicate stippled brushwork in the flesh points to miniaturist technique, a genre practiced by the subject's father and grandfather. The bright background, necktie, and use of blue shadows demonstrate an up-to-date admiration for the Pre-Raphaelites.

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Author:

SIR WILLIAM BLAKE RICHMOND (1842-1921)

Title:

Self-portrait, aged 21

Caption:

Self-portrait, aged 21. Artist: Sir William Blake Richmond (British, London 1842-1921 London). Dimensions: Sheet: 9 × 6 in. (22.9 × 15.2 cm). Date: 1863. The subject of this intense image was named for William Blake, a poet-painter revered by his artist-father George Richmond. With Samuel Palmer as a godfather, and drawing lessons from John Ruskin before he entered the Royal Academy Schools in 1858, the youth's career path must have seemed preordained. He based the self-portrait in part on a miniature that his father had painted at twenty-one to present to his bride (National Portrait Gallery, London). The works share similar poses, serious expressions and soulful eyes, but William's blondness contrasts with his father's darker hair and eyes. Delicate stippled brushwork in the flesh points to miniaturist technique, a genre practiced by the subject's father and grandfather. The bright background, necktie, and use of blue shadows demonstrate an up-to-date admiration for the Pre-Raphaelites.

Technique/material:

WATERCOLOR

Museum:

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA

Credit:

Album / Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY

Releases:

Model: No - Property: No
Rights questions?

Image size:

2544 x 3403 px | 24.8 MB

Print size:

21.5 x 28.8 cm | 8.5 x 11.3 in (300 dpi)

Keywords:

DRAWINGS AND PRINTS • DRAWINGS • METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NEW YORK, USA • SIR WILLIAM BLAKE RICHMOND • WATERCOLOR • WATERCOLORS